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Update on cannabis registration

City News July 29, 2025
A group of nine people are seated at a curved wooden table facing an audience in a meeting room. There are five men and one woman on the left side of the table, and two men and one woman on the right side. They are all looking towards the center, where there is a podium.

The first local registration for a cannabis retailer came before the Albert Lea City Council for approval at its July 28 meeting. Jacob Schlichter of Albert Lea, owner of The Smoking Tree, received a cannabis microbusiness license from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management on July 17 and submitted his city registration shortly afterwards. The registration is subject to council approval.

Because of questions on enforcement, liability and responsibility, the Albert Lea City Council voted 3-4 to approve registration of the cannabis license holder, meaning the motion failed and the registration was not approved. The council will seek answers to its questions and continue to review the approval process for registering cannabis businesses.

For comments during the public forum and the council discussion before the vote, watch the video of the meeting at: https://youtu.be/dIQP8xRK-QE.